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Our Community Engagement Projects in Detroit

Getting to work

At Activate Detroit, we put every aspect of our experience into action for our clients. As a strategic partner and community engagement consultant in Detroit, we develop a deep understanding of what will work for each client and the community. We’re flexible and creative in delivering innovative, customized solutions that unlock Detroit for our clients — and benefit the communities where they do business. Here are just some of the projects that our community engagement company has helped clients bring to fruition.

AirBnb

Date: 2016 - 2017

Services Provided

Community Engagement
Governmental Relations and Access

When Airbnb announced that Detroit would be one of the 12 cities to host the launch of its new “Experiences” service, the company partnered with Activate Detroit to familiarize the community with the project and help Airbnb get to know the community. We administered Airbnb’s process for signing up hosts, facilitated introductions, and conducted day-to-day communications to establish connections. We also scouted for prospective “Experiences” hosts and helped develop and deploy a promotional film that included Mayor Mike Duggan. All of these bridge-building efforts helped grow the Detroit “Experiences” portfolio, and fostered a healthy relationship between Airbnb and the city of Detroit.

Amazon

Date: 2020

Services Provided

Community Engagement
Governmental Relations and Access

When Amazon wanted to build a distribution center in Detroit, Activate Detroit mobilized community groups to foster buy-in for the project and secured support from Detroit City Council. The new facility Is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the surrounding area, as well as funding for neighborhood development. This $400 million project is a win for both Detroit and Amazon.

Founders Brewing Co

Date: 2019 - 2021

Services Provided

Community Engagement
Corporate Social Responsibility and Value Propositions

When Founders Brewing Co. wanted to transition its company culture, it reached out to Activate Detroit. Buzz Thomas became its interim Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lead, helping develop a three-year plan to foster change in the company. This included the creation of a Diversity Action Council and an annual employee satisfaction survey.

MHT HOUSING, INC.

Date: 2019 - 2021

Services Provided

Economic Development & Land Use Planning
Community Engagement

At Home In The D

Activate Detroit’s knowledge and connections to help MHT Housing get affordable housing developments done right

When MHT Housing Inc. turned to Activate Detroit in December 2021, they were greatly in need of a partner that could get things done — quickly and skillfully. One of Michigan’s largest providers of affordable housing for families and older adults, MHT Housing was looking for a new consultant to kick-start stalled projects and manage numerous details that needed prompt attention. Activate Detroit gladly stepped in, making the most of our Detroit connections and knowledge to help MHT Housing move vital projects in the city to completion.

The first such project required Activate Detroit to pull construction permits for 64 residential units MHT Housing was renovating, “a time-consuming undertaking that our team completed in record time,” says George Etheridge, Activate Detroit’s economic policy development manager and the project manager for MHT Housing. “We also signed the affidavit that all rooms would be code-compliant, submitted applications and building permits, uploaded site plans, and more. By remaining in close contact with city departments, we made sure everything stayed on schedule.”

Activate Detroit has brought that same level of perseverance and attention to detail to other MHT Housing projects in the city. “We didn’t have access to the previous consultant’s files, which meant starting from scratch in some cases,” George says. Still, Activate Detroit has never missed a deadline for MHT Housing — a crucial factor in bringing development to fruition — and has made certain that every aspect of each project adheres to the city’s codes and regulations. For one property this meant securing a site plan approval letter from the Historic District Commission that the previous consultant hadn’t obtained.

Working closely with the city and its residents

Taking a project from concept to completion is an involved process, and Activate Detroit is there every step of the way. For MHT Housing, that includes serving as the liaison between the developer and the city of Detroit. “That means the developer can do their work while Activate Detroit manages the intricacies of working with the city’s various departments as the face of the developer,” George explains.

Navigating the city’s complex bureaucracy is one of Activate Detroit’s strong suits. George, for example, spent 16 years as a city planner and policy analyst for the Detroit City Council. “Knowing how processes work from the inside is a key reason Activate Detroit is able to help our clients unlock Detroit,” he says. Case in point: For one MHT Housing project, Activate Detroit worked with a city department to get on an earlier meeting agenda in time to meet a rapidly approaching deadline.

Activate Detroit also ensures community buy-in for every one of MHT Housing’s projects in the city. “Not every neighborhood welcomes affordable housing, and some have had experiences that make them resistant to change,” George says. Activate Detroit engages with neighborhood associations, block clubs, and other community groups, attending their meetings to explain the development and solicit their feedback. “This level of community engagement builds trust and reassures people living in the neighborhoods that MHT Housing isn’t going to be an absentee landlord, but truly cares about the communities in which they are investing.”

At Activate Detroit, we’re proud to be true partners with clients like MHT Housing — representing them well to city officials and neighborhoods alike to help them achieve all their goals.

O’HAIR PARK

Date: 2019 - Present

Services Provided

Community Engagement
Economic Development and Land Use Planning

Community matters

For Activate Detroit, neighborhood input is at the heart of successful development in O’Hair Park

Like many Detroit neighborhoods, O’Hair Park is a close-knit, active community. After the city demolished an old building there in 2013, trash and debris began gathering on the 13 acres of vacant land. Gail Tubbs, president of the O’Hair Park Community Association (OHPCA), described it as “a thorn in the side of the community and an eyesore.”

Over the years, potential buyers for the land came and went. The lot stood empty until 2019, when real estate developer the Boji Group identified it as an ideal location for a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) facility. The Boji Group asked Activate Detroit to join the project, and our first step was to listen to everyone involved, starting with the O’Hair Park community.

“OHPCA is very organized and engaged, and after so many years of no action, it’s understandable that they were skeptical at first,” says Clarence Gayles, Activate Detroit’s director of strategic engagement and the project manager for the Boji Group. “So we didn’t just tell them what the vision for the property was. We sat back and listened to what they wanted to see out of this.”

What MDHHS, the Boji Group’s client, had in mind would certainly benefit the community. A survey the agency conducted showed that most of the people who used its Midtown service facility live in or near O’Hair Park. Rather than making them go to Midtown, where parking and access aren’t always convenient, MDHHS wanted to bring its services to them.

This was the Lansing-based Boji Group’s first development in Detroit, so Activate Detroit worked as their guide, Clarence says. “They really needed someone to help them navigate the city and connect them with the right people to move things along, and also get community input and buy-in.”

Activate Detroit managed the entire process, which involved securing the property and hiring a contractor to handle all the land-use planning, permits, and scheduling, as well as issues such as water hookups and traffic flow during and after construction. The property had to be rezoned, which required action by Detroit City Council and other agencies, and Activate Detroit saw to every detail so construction could begin.

“Activate Detroit knows many people in different layers, with extended relationships in state government,” says Terri Fitzpatrick, who was the Boji Group’s chief operating officer and vice president of development during the project. “Everything about them is real. They look at things with a very long lens, because they look at it as a long-term relationship. Plus, they are sincere about their convictions and feel their work in Detroit is helping transform the city.”

Investing in the neighborhood
Activate Detroit is proud to be part of Detroit’s evolution — and that means making sure communities like O’Hair Park are engaged in the city’s revitalization.

“We had many meetings with the developer and the community association to get everyone on board,” Clarence says. “The community’s main concern was that the area be accessible to them and not some fenced-off monolith.”

OHPCA also explained that they did not want the property to be overdeveloped. The Boji Group heard — and heeded — their voices. The redeveloped site offers a walking path to enter the campus, a picnic area with tables and chairs, and a pocket park the community specifically requested. The MDHHS building even includes a space OHPCA can use to host its meetings.

“Activate Detroit invited us in to share their ideas of transforming the land, gained our input on proposed designs, attended our meetings, and fully immersed themselves in the community to better understand our issues and desires,” Gail says. “They made sure OHPCA was updated on the development work and readily addressed questions and issues. Activate Detroit is more than just an interface between the owner, developer, and OHPCA. They are a beloved member of our community.”

Indeed, Activate Detroit and the Boji Group remain active in the community. After donating $5,000 to OHPCA at the groundbreaking ceremony to thank the neighborhood for its involvement, the Boji Group supports activities such as the annual Back to School and Halloween events.

In addition to donating backpacks filled with Back to School supplies, Activate Detroit provides pro bono services, with Clarence and our economic policy development manager, George Etheridge, both serving on OHPCA committees. They meet monthly to discuss topics such as housing the community wants to be demolished.

“OHPCA still relies on us, even though our work with the Boji Group is complete,” Clarence says. “This is why we’re trusted to not just fly in and fly out. We stick and stay.”

Plowshares Theatre Co.

Date: 2018 - 2019

Services Provided

Community Engagement

As Michigan’s only professional African American theatre company, Plowshares Theatre Company strives to preserve, present, and produce African American experiences that challenge minds and build community. Given Activate Detroit’s deep roots in the city, we were an ideal choice to help Plowshares build a relationship with Detroit’s African American community. Plowshares brought us in to help vet and potentially launch a new production. Our work included community engagement and focus groups based on readings of the play at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. After the readings, we facilitated discussions that led to the refinement of the play before it was
presented.

Wolverine Human Services // Core Orchards

Date: 2017 - Present

Services Provided

Government Relations and Access
Community Engagement
Economic Development and Land Use Planning

Activate Detroit helped secure a deal to purchase land for Detroit’s first “You Pick” orchard and cider mill. We helped earn the community’s support, and negotiated ordinances from the city to allow the development of the orchard.